Eric Opoku, Ghana’s Minister-designate for Food and Agriculture, has outlined plans to require all secondary schools in the country to establish their own farms. In his appearance before Parliament’s vetting committee on January 20, Opoku said the initiative would leverage the nation’s land resources to strengthen its agricultural sector.

“We are also going to encourage institutional farming,” Opoku stated, noting that every secondary school would be required to own a farm as part of this initiative.

Opoku, who represents Asunafo South in the Bono Region, also emphasized that the Ministry of Agriculture would work with the Ministry of Education to recruit laborers to assist schools in setting up and maintaining their farms. He argued that the initiative would help address food shortages in schools while improving the quality of meals provided to students.

“This will not only reduce the cost of school feeding but also enhance both the quality and quantity of food served to students,” Opoku said.

School farms were once a prominent feature of Ghana’s educational system but fell into decline in the late 2000s due to reduced interest from both the government and stakeholders. Opoku’s proposal seeks to revive this practice and integrate it into the broader effort to modernize Ghana’s agricultural sector.

Source:TheDotNews